Trailblazing boys basketball coach Heather Seely-Roberts embroiled in controversy at Lincoln

The first woman to lead a 6A boys basketball program in Oregon filed one tort claim and had another filed against her

Heather Seely-Roberts led Lincoln to a third-place finish at the 2023 OSAA 6A boys basketball state tournament. / Photo by Leon Neuschwander

Competing legal claims surrounding the Lincoln boys basketball program paint differing pictures of the controversy surrounding the Southwest Portland (Oregon) school.

Four students filed a tort claim with Portland Public Schools last month alleging that head coach Heather Seely-Roberts, the only woman at the helm of a 6A boys program and one of two statewide, barred three of them from the varsity team and repeatedly used homophobic slurs, according to an article published by Willamette Week.

A day later, Willamette Week published a story detailing a legal claim filed by Seely-Roberts that outlined what it called a smear campaign against the coach and the district failing to protect her, instead subjecting her to “unlawful disparate treatment” that creates a hostile work environment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

The Willamette Week also reported that Lincoln athletic director Matt Wiles sent an email to parents of Cardinals players Dec. 6 that claimed a PPS investigation “did not find evidence of homophobic or racially discriminatory behavior within the LHS basketball program.”

OregonLive reported that the investigation found that Seely-Roberts had taken actions that could be considered retaliatory behavior, but the district took no disciplinary action.

The turmoil appears to be taking a toll on the Cardinals, who lost 98-46 at Nelson on Friday to drop to 0-8 this season.

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